SANDAG's New Year's resolutions

It's almost time for board members of our regional planning
agency, the San Diego Association of Governments, to attend their
annual get-together in Borrego Springs. The La Casa del Zorro was
specifically chosen for its isolation, which will apparently
enhance discussion on the scheduled topics of habitat preservation,
water quality, climate change and beach sand replenishment (as
stated in the
board
agenda for Dec. 21, item No. 11
).

But there are additional issues requiring attention, such
as:

1. Remedial training for SANDAG's professional staff.

Staffers appeared confused when
responding
to public comment
about the Regional Transportation Plan. For
example, comment No. 199 suggested upgrading I-15's existing
managed lanes from "carpools & tolls" to "regular lanes" to
reclaim wasted capacity and provide congestion relief. SANDAG's
response was a lofty non-sequitur: "The first completed Managed
Lanes project is not open yet on I-15."

When the failure of Bus Rapid Transit (buses operating in I-15's
managed lanes) was revealed in comment 196, staffers said the
discontinued routes "were not BRT services" because they "did not
have the benefit of Direct Access Ramps." This conflicts with the
definition used by SANDAG's Transportation Committee! In the Oct. 5
meeting, Bus Rapid Transit was described as "a form of rapid
transit operated wholly or partly on exclusive bus lanes,
guideways, or managed lanes."

More chaotic responses from SANDAG staffers were documented in
my previous Community Forum article "Reject the transportation
plan" (Nov 20). While some staffers are probably well trained and
competent, improvement is clearly needed.

2. Implement a customer service orientation.

One of mass transit's success stories was bus route 89, which
handled more than 100 daily boardings between Sorrento Valley and
Del Mar Heights. It was
discontinued
by the Metropolitan Transit System because 70 or so of those
passengers were transferring from the Coaster, which means they
weren't paying a fare as they boarded.

There were impassioned pleas from the public during the
Transportation Committee meeting to maintain the route so they
could get to work. However, the negative impact of the decision on
those passengers was not discussed. The decision-making process
requires a customer service focus or the transit system will
continue to eject passengers.

3. Emphasize cost-effective solutions.

As a steward of the taxpayer's money, SANDAG must provide the
greatest benefit at the lowest cost. For example, consider the need
to reduce traffic congestion on Highway 78. The $477 million
Sprinter will remove up to 1,100 cars from the road at a cost of
$433,000 per vehicle. Adding two regular lanes for a billion
dollars would add capacity for 48,000 cars per day at a cost of
only $21,000 per car. Obviously, adding freeway lanes is more
cost-effective than a train - by a factor of 20-to-1!

Adopting these measures would help transform SANDAG into an
effective regional planning agency. Board members are encouraged to
tackle these issues during the retreat and report their findings
when they return.